Climate change is real, and the signs are all around us. The earth and our environment are a heritage we must pass on to the next generations—if not improved, at least preserved in our lifetime, asserted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as he inaugurated the Van Mahotsav 2025 celebrations organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department at Abhinav Theatre. Let’s find joy in planting trees and gifting plants, he remarked, calling on people to transform the festival into a vibrant people's movement.
He was joined by Javed Ahmed Rana, Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology and Environment and Tribal Affairs; Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani; Commissioner and Secretary to the Government, Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, Sheetal Nanda; Secretary Tribal Affairs, Prasanna Ramaswamy G; Principal Chief Conservators of Forests; DDC Member (Dansal) Shamima Begum; besides senior officers from various departments.
The event was marked by broad community participation including tribal members, students, and citizens across the Union Territory.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah emphasised that our actions today would have repercussions long afterwards. There needs to be a check on greed; only our needs must be met. Uncontrolled deforestation must stop. Genuine afforestation efforts are required to produce results that matter, not just statistics. He added that development is a need, but it should be judicious. There must be a balance, development carried out with sincere concern for the environment. For every tree uprooted, a hundred must be planted.
Reaffirming the government's resolve, the Chief Minister said that the administration will ensure the benefits of the Forest Rights Act and minor forest produce reach every intended beneficiary. Addressing the youth and tribal communities, he celebrated the enduring value of trees and the importance of collective stewardship.
Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology and Environment, and Tribal Affairs, Javed Ahmed Rana recognised the unique responsibility of the tribal population in protecting forests. He emphasized that the Tribal Affairs Department must become the nodal agency for implementing the Forest Rights Act. The Minister detailed government initiatives for tribal welfare, with special focus on water conservation in Kandi areas through check dams, rainwater harvesting and percolation pits. He also highlighted youth-focussed employment opportunities under the Van Dhan Yojana and spoke of upcoming sustainable tourism plans currently being developed, such as eco trek activities. Referring to holistic empowerment, he mentioned the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, under which several projects have been proposed to support inclusion, infrastructure, and the saturation of government guarantees for tribal communities.
Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, reflected that forests are not just resources—they are living guardians that gift us firewood to warm our homes, fodder to feed our cattle, timber to build our shelters, and the very air we breathe to stay alive. He urged people to reconnect with the age-old traditions of tree planting, which once formed an integral part of rituals. These were not mere customs, he noted, but deeply rooted acts of gratitude and responsibility towards nature. The government, he assured, will make every effort to revive these traditions and ensure that the rights of forest dwellers, as well as the forests themselves, are upheld and protected. Development matters, but never at the cost of nature, he asserted.
The ceremony also witnessed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah handing over appointment letters to newly selected candidates in the Forest Department and felicitating individuals and organizations for their environmental contributions.